Manovich is interested in the notion of database, firstly he show the meaning of database in science area, database is usually formed by collect data in a structured way. Also, the author states a simple way about how’s the data collected.

‘The data stored in a database are organized for fast search and retrieval by a computer and therefore a database is anything but a simple collection of items.’-Manovich

It have different types of databases, such as hierarchical, network, relational, and object-oriented. Then the author mainly talk about  the dominance of database form in new media, for example, the strength in internet or in digital shortage media.

Reference

Manovich, Lev. “Database as Symbolic Form”. Database Aesthetics: Art in the Age of Information Overflow. Vesna, Victoria, ed. Minneapolis: University Of Minnesota Press, 2007. Print. 39-60.